


Maple Syrup

by dametokillfor



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: ColdAtom Week 2016, Fluff, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-02
Updated: 2016-05-02
Packaged: 2018-06-05 22:27:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6725965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dametokillfor/pseuds/dametokillfor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>It was just over a month into their breakfast dates that Ray realised he might be enjoying them more than gallivanting across the universe and history. The quiet moments where it’s just him and Len, and their budding friendship. It takes him a few more dates before he realises just why he’s enjoying them more than exploring space and time.</i>
</p><p> </p><p>---x </p><p>In which Len and Ray have a standing early morning date, and Ray wonders if he can get diabetes by proxy.</p><p>Written for ColdAtom Week day seven, free day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Maple Syrup

**Author's Note:**

> And we've reached the final day of the week!
> 
> This is something I've been working on for a little while now, free day seemed like the perfect time to finish it. A little tooth rotting fluff for you all.

The swirling stars on his bedside ‘window’ are changing to his usual early wake up call, a slow sunrise and a soft chiming noise. Ray is already wide awake, has been for the past hour, nervous anticipation in his stomach. He’s watching as the sun rises, waiting for it to get over the horizon. 

It’s 4AM, and Ray can’t wait to get out of bed. 

“Dr Palmer, Mr Snart has woken up and is preparing to leave the Waverider.”

Which is Ray’s cue.

“Thanks Gideon.”

He climbs out of bed, runs his fingers through his hair and grabs his jacket from the stool by his bed. He pulls it on quickly, and sneaks out of his room, towards the main door of the ship. 

Len is already outside, leaning against the side of the ship. The ship itself is currently cloaked, so he looks like he’s leaning against mid-air. Len probably could, like some kind of gravity defying magician. God, Ray hates him.

Until Len smiles, a sweet, genuine smile that Ray still feels privileged to see. Ray smiles back without even meaning to. That’s just what Len does to him, especially on these mornings. 

“Morning.” Len says, his voice still sleep roughened. 

“Morning.” 

Ray steps off the Waverider, lets the door shut behind them. The ship shimmers into nothingness, the cloaking hiding it from even them. Ray has a tracker set up so he can find his way back, no matter how far they go from it, it’s only failed once. The fact they found the ship because Len walked into it will never fail to make Ray smile.

Ray loves the way Len looks in the morning, sleepy and soft. Like the weight of the world hasn’t hit his shoulders yet. He wishes he could see Len like this next to him in the morning, but on a ship like the Waverider, where nobody has a private moment, nobody has a secret... 

Ray likes this secret. 

They walk away from the ship, shoulders brushing, fingers close to touching but not quite. The silence is companionable, in a way nobody who saw them from day to day would believe they could be. 

(The first time they met outside the ship, it had been very different. Len accusing Ray of following him, because he didn't trust him. Ray telling him that'd never crossed his mind, but now he mentioned it, he didn't. Them walking together to a diner, begrudgingly sharing breakfast.)

Len's fingers brush against Ray’s, cool to the touch. Ray takes the initiative, slips his own fingers between Len’s and grips his hand loosely. Ray loves that Len isn’t tensing, isn’t steeling for a fight, just holds Ray’s hand with no complaints. 

“I saw a diner about a miles walk away, claimed the best pancakes in the State.” Ray suggests. 

“Do they sell coffee?” Len asks, as if pancakes hadn’t already sold him.

“They probably sell brown water masquerading as coffee.”

“Good enough.”

(The second time they’d met outside the ship, it had been more bickering, before heading out for more breakfast. It had been somewhere around the sixth time that Len and Ray had just decided to make it a standing date. Still fairly begrudgingly.)

The morning is still fairly dark, the sun just barely peeking over the horizon. The streetlamps are still lit, and it’s all disgustingly romantic. Ray would say this time of day reminds him a little of Len, the darkness threatening to be overtaken by all the light. Ray would say that, but that’s cheesy, even for him. 

The woman who serves them at the diner is called Beth, and is all bright smiles and ‘darling’ and Ray wants her to be his new mom. Len charms her easily, and soon they’ve got extra bacon with their pancakes and a conspiratorial wink.

“I love her.” Ray announces, “You think we have room for another crew member?”

Len shakes his head, pulls his coffee to him, “There’d be too much sunshine on the ship. Mick and Rip would have to be extra surly to balance it out.”

Ray doesn't miss how he doesn't include himself in the surly category. A few weeks ago, he definitely would have. 

“Can't have that.” Ray agrees, smiling into his own coffee.

(Snart became Len about three weeks into their breakfast meetings. Ray is still Raymond, even now, but it’s fond. Len smiled at one of his jokes for the first time after a week. Ray teased him for proving he was human, Len threw a sugar packet at his head.)

Ray watches as Len drowns his pancakes, and bacon in maple syrup. It would probably surprise most of their friends to discover Len is the one with the sweet tooth. Ray prefers his pancakes still be visible under the sticky brown goo. 

“I’m not apologising, Raymond.” Len tells him, looking up from his food.

“Never said you had to. I’d just wish I didn't have to worry about getting diabetes by proxy every time I kiss you.”

“You don’t have to kiss me.” Len points out.

“We both know that’s not true.” 

Len pushes himself up, leans across the table and kisses Ray. The hand at Ray’s cheek is warm from the coffee, and he tastes like mint and Len.

(It was just over a month into their breakfast dates that Ray realised he might be enjoying them more than gallivanting across the universe and history. The quiet moments where it’s just him and Len, and their budding friendship. It takes him a few more dates before he realises just why he’s enjoying them more than exploring space and time.)

Len drops back into his seat, with a goddamn grin on his face. He looks more like the Snart that everyone else knows, sardonic and sly.

“Can I eat now?” Len asks, waving a hand at his pancakes. 

“Go ahead, I’ll let you know if my blood sugar drops.” 

Len shakes his head, tucks into his pancakes. Ray watches him for a moment, as he digs into the sticky bacon. He looks up at Ray as he eats it, a smile on his face and mischief in his big blue eyes. He looks so happy, Ray will let Len drown him in maple syrup if it gives him a happy look like that. 

The pair of them eat in contented silence, Len occasionally complaining he’s run out of syrup, Ray telling him that he’s amazed he bleeds blood. Len kicks him gently under the table. Ray kicks him back. 

(Ray was the one who kissed Len first. They’d been walking to one of their breakfast dates, the streets still dark, streetlamps lighting their way. It had been quiet, peaceful, felt like they were the only people in the world. Ray looked across at Len, had seen a warm smile on his face and Ray was pretty certain he was in love. It was fast, it was _too fast_ , and it should have scared the life out of him. Instead, he took hold of Len’s hand and pulled him to a stop. Before he could think straight, he wrapped his other hand around Len’s neck and kissed him. Len hadn’t pushed him away, or punched him. He’d simply kissed him back, his own hands resting on Ray’s hips. The kiss had lasted barely a moment, and Ray had expected some sarcastic comment, some ridiculous quip to ruin the moment. Instead Len just smiled, _about time, Raymond_.)

“You two want a top up?” Beth asks, holding her coffee pot. 

Len shakes his head, “No, thank you, Beth. If I have too much caffeine, my boyfriend will expect me to be nice to him today.” 

Ray snorts, “There’s no coffee in the world that would make me expect that, Len.”

Beth smiles as she watches the easy banter between the two of them. It’s light, it’s teasing, it’s exactly how Ray wishes they could be on the ship. He makes do with these stolen mornings, where Len easily drops the word boyfriend like it’s nothing, where he looks at Ray like he’s his whole world. He knows Len cares about him, knows that what they have isn’t just him humouring the ship idiot, but God, he wishes it was 24/7 rather than 2/4. 

“I wish my husband still looked at me like that.” 

Len smiles at her, “Lady like you? I’m sure he looks at you like this every day, you just don’t see it anymore.”

Just when Ray thought he couldn’t be more screwed. 

(The first I love you came from Len, which Ray hadn’t expected. He thought he was going to have to pretend like he just kinda liked Len, or that he thought Len was an _asshole but an okay asshole I guess._ Instead over breakfast one morning, Ray had stolen a bottle of maple syrup to replace their own empty one. Len had looked across at him, and smiled, really goddamn smiled and told Ray right there. Ray hadn’t believed it, thought it was just a slip of the tongue. As Len had kissed him good morning when they reached the Waverider, he told him again, _just in case you thought I was talking to the syrup._ )

Ray pays for breakfast, while Len’s in the bathroom. Officially they take it in turns, but Ray is pretty certain that before he and Len had admitted they actually liked spending time together, he was always the one paying. Len’s definitely lifted his wallet more than once. 

Ray leaves Beth a tip, thankful that they’re some time and place that he has the right currency for. She thanks him, and gives him the kind of smile that no normal person working at 5.30AM should be able to manage.

“Let me give you a tip too.” She tells him, “You hold on to that boy. You two have something special there, something most people would kill for.”

Ray laughs in spite of himself, thinking about Savage and his desperation to get his hands on Kendra. Beth fixes him with an impressive glare, he quickly schools his face into something more serious. 

“I’ll do my best.” 

Len appears from the bathroom, and wraps his arm around Ray’s back. He makes some half-hearted protest about how Ray should have let him pay, holds Ray’s wallet up in his hand. Ray snatches it back. 

“What’s mine is yours, isn’t it, Raymond?” Len quips.

“I hate you.”

(They’ve talked about sneaking away for a night, getting a hotel, finally spending a night together, Ray getting to see Len sleep ruffled and dozy in the morning. They decided against it, they don’t want to wake up together for the first time in a faceless hotel, they want to take their time learning each other’s bodies, lay curled together for hours and not have to worry about the life they have to go back to. When this is over, Ray is going to take Len away to his apartment in Opal City, and they’re going to spend goddamn weeks just fucking and kissing and falling deeper and deeper without anyone knowing where they are or who they are.) 

The walk back to the Waverider is always the worst time. Their linked hands always seem to grasp a little tighter, and they seem to walk a little slower. Ray can see Len’s face changing from open and happy, to the broken man he worries he’ll always be underneath. His features harden and his eyes go cold. Ray would kill to see his Len all the time, but reality always gets in the way. 

And selfishly, he doesn’t want the rest of the ship to see this Len. The idea that someone else might catch his smile, or see how warm his eyes can be when he’s not hiding behind his cold shell makes Ray a little uncomfortable. 

Ray brushes his thumb across Len’s knuckles, smiles across at him. Len squeezes his hand, matches his smile. 

The buzz on Ray’s phone, telling them the Waverider is nearby, comes up all too fast. It always does, no matter how slowly they walk. Ray often wonders if the ship would just appear next to them if they simply stood still.

As they stop outside the ship, Ray uses the same joke he does every morning, “So, you coming up for a nightcap?”

“Not that kind of girl.” Len replies, as he does every night. He smiles sweetly at Ray, before leaning in and kissing him, hand slipping into his hair to keep him close, as if Ray would want to get away. Len tastes like pure maple syrup, and Ray is going to be tasting it all day.

As the kiss breaks, they rest their foreheads together, and just take a moment to memorise the softness, the look of pure love in each others eyes. 

“I love you.” Len tells him, nails scratching lightly at Ray’s skull, as if he’s petting him. 

“I love you.” 

He leans in for a final kiss, one last stolen moment before they come crashing back to reality and their relationship is overly cruel jokes, and thinly veiled irritation. 

Ray boards the ship first, and sneaks back through the empty halls to his quarters. Len always returns second, they’re less likely to question him disappearing overnight. So far they’ve not bumped into anyone in the corridors, but it’s only a matter of time. The ship always seems to come to life scant moments after Len returns to his own room. Ray supposes it’s what they get for being on a ship where time is pretty much an abstract concept now. 

Ray lays down on his bunk, and pulls his pillow to him. He wraps his arms around it, and tucks his head into it, trying to pretend it’s a warm, firm body. 

One day.

\---x

(Rip was the first to discover it, Gideon alerting him to the fact that two of his crew members had disembarked the ship in the wee small hours. After following them once or twice, Rip was satisfied that nothing untoward was going on, and let them have their time together. 

Mick snores, and Len talks in his sleep. The pair of them have been known to throw things at one another to shut the other up. Since joining the rag tag crew of Legends, Len only ever talks about one person in his sleep, and it’s not who Mick suspected.

Sara is a goddamn assassin, and really wishes people would stop forgetting that part of her skillset included crazy observational skills.

The smile Snart had on his face when she managed to bring Ray back from the brink tipped Kendra off. She’s never seen Snart look at anyone with such warmth, such affection. Not Mick, not Sara. She only hopes Ray knows how happy Len looks when he’s gazing at him.

Jax figures it out when Stein manages to accidentally suggest Ray go after Kendra. Watching their interactions, it was painfully obvious that Ray was fooling around, knew Jax was watching and was teasing him. Stein figures it out because Jax figures it out.

There’s an unspoken agreement not to let either man know that they know. They deserve a little happiness in the middle of this crazy situation. 

Besides, it’s far more fun for all of them to let the idiots think they’re being subtle.)

**Author's Note:**

> And that's the last of my ColdAtom week pieces! This week has been so much fun, I've read and seen so many amazing pieces for this little pairing. I'm so proud to be a part of this fandom. 
> 
> See you for ColdAtom fall week! 
> 
> Come squee with me on [Tumblr](http://damnstevens.tumblr.com).


End file.
